Guest Speakers at the August Ocean Civic League Meeting

On Thursday, August 7th, 3rd Precinct Captain James Gordon and Virginia Beach Marine Police Supervisor Sgt. Brian Ricardo presented at our monthly meeting. We thank Capt. Gordon and Sgt. Ricardo for taking the time to speak to our neighbors. We also want to thank you -our neighbors -for sending in thoughtful questions and engaging in an informative discussion with law enforcement on these critical issues. Safety along our shorelines, at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp and on our neighborhood streets is an ongoing issue and we value effective partnerships to make improvements.

Full meeting minutes will be published here however we’ve noted a few highlights below:

Capt. Gordon detailed the officers’ response on the July 26th evening incident when a large crowd gathered on the Ocean Park Beach. He underscored that while there was evidence of cannibis and alchohol, the officers must witness actionable offenses which they did not.

He responded to a question about a picture that was posted on social media of a person in handcuffs supposedly at the July 26 incident. He said that that picture is not related and he doesn’t know where it is from.

When asked what additional strategies were in the works, relayed that he had just toured the LBR site with the City Attorney to talk about getting additional signage warning visitors that they are under surveillance in hopes of providing an additional deterrent through that awareness of the cameras in operation. Signs emphasizing pay parking rules were also discussed.

While the VBPD 3rd Precinct have been working closely with us to keep us informed and aware, Sgt. Brian Ricardo from the Virginia Beach Marine Police was a first time visitor and he brought lots of new information.

• The Marine Police have a vast area to patrol: 40 miles of Atlantic Beaches from the North End to Sandbridge, 20 miles of Bay Beaches, 17 mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, the Lynnhaven, ponds, Broad Bay and more. For this they have 8 officers. Four officers and two boats by us and 3 officers at Rudee Inlet. (one officer is retiring and won’t be replaced).
• All officers have collateral duties in addition to patrolling the waterways.( a recent example: recovery of a child drowning victim in a pond). The training to be a VBPD Marine Officer is arduous. It takes 6 months to qualify and train on all vessels. All VBMP officers have earned US Coast Guard Captain’s Licenses which is not the case in nearby jurisdictions. 
• The main concern expressed by neighbors is that they wish to see more enforcement by the VBMP. However VBMP must have probable cause to interdict so that means they must first see a violation of state code (wake zone violation, littering) before they are allowed to conduct a safety inspection (life jackets for all, fire extinguishers). They have no jurisdiction over charter boat activity. 
• We had many who asked about the unsafe behavior of jet skis and boats coming very close to swimmers on the bay beaches. Sgt Ricardo explained that some time ago the restrictions on jet skis and boats that are in force at the Oceanfront were taken away through the efforts of a state legislator who lives on the Lynnhaven Inlet. The VBMP can only enforce a violation of reckless operation next to a swimmer rather than limits on how close to shore they can come. 
• Coast Guard stationed at Little Creek who need  hours to maintain certifications join VBMP operations especially on holiday weekends. They have broader powers to enforce federal laws and to terminate a voyage.

We thank our guest speakers and the VBPD for their ongoing engagement with our community.

Here are the slides from the August 7 meeting: